COCOA BEANS
The Commission noted with satisfaction that the FAO Cocoa Study Group had made considerable progress towards the establishment of international standards for cocoa beans. At its Second Session in July 1963, the Group's Working Party on Cocoa Grading noted that the Governments of some countries had already introduced regulations for cocoa grading based on the draft Model Ordinance and Code of Practice developed at its First Session in 1961. After reviewing the recommendations of that session and revising the text of the draft Model Ordinance and Code of Practice, the Working Party considered that sufficient agreement had been reached to justify the draft being brought to the attention of Governments of all cocoa exporting and importing countries for their consideration in connection with national legislation and administrative practices. The Working Party had therefore requested the Director-General of FAO to bring its report to the attention of Governments which had participated in the work of the Cocoa Study Group, inviting them to express their views and conclusions on the draft Model Ordinance and Code of Practice and the other recommendations contained in the report, and on the extent to which they could be adopted. Government's comments were currently being received by FAO.
EDIBLE FUNGI
The Commission recommended that the Directors-General of FAO and WHO should seek to establish with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe a Joint UNECE/Codex Alimentarius Commission Group of Experts on the Standardisation of Edible Fungi to elaborate standards for wild, cultivated and processed mushrooms. The Commission also recommended that Appendices I.1 and I.2 of the Report of the First Session of the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission be referred with the comments of member countries of the Commission to the proposed Group of Experts.
FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS
At its first session the Codex Alimentarius Commission requested the Director-General of FAO to convene a meeting of Independent Experts on Fish and Fishery Products to prepare for the Commission's consideration recommendations for priorities among fish and fishery products to be standardized and a draft model standard. The Meeting of Experts had recommended that the following products be given priority for standardisation: canned herring in tomato sauce, canned sardine in tomato sauce, canned herring in oils, canned sardine in oils, canned tuna, canned bonito and canned mackerel in brine or oils, canned Pacific salmon, canned crab meat and canned shrimp, frozen tuna and frozen herring as raw material for further processing, frozen fillets of Atlantic cod, haddock and ocean perch (Sebastes), frozen Pacific salmon and frozen crustaceans, cured salted herring and salted cod. The Experts had also drawn up a skeleton code of practice for the handling of fish and fishery products as well as a suggested model standard for fishery products.
The Experts had made certain recommendations concerning those countries which in their opinion would be most likely to have the necessary expertise in the field of standardisation of the various fish and fishery products and had requested the Director-General of FAO to approach the Governments of those countries to see whether they would be prepared to undertake this work.
The Commission received a brief progress report from the Secretariat on developments since the meeting of the Experts which informed the Commission that draft standards on canned bonito in brine and oil had been received by FAO. In addition a number of countries had informed the Director-General of FAO that they would be prepared to elaborate draft standards on fish and fishery products.
The Commission approved in general the procedure outlined in the Report of the Meeting of Experts on International Standards for Fish and Fishery Products. The Officer in Charge of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme was requested to invite all Members of the Commission to indicate which standards were of particular interest to them. The Commission further requested that Fisheries Division of FAO carry out a technical examination of all the draft standards submitted by “Author” countries or organizations. When in the opinion of Fisheries Division the draft standards were technically satisfactory they should be sent by the Officer in Charge of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme to those Members of the Commission which had notified their interest for detailed comment. After further consideration by Fisheries Division of the draft standards in the light of comments received, the Officer in Charge of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme should send the draft standards to all Members of the Commission for comment. The Commission would then at its next session decide on what further action should be taken regarding the possible establishment of a Codex Committee under Rule IX.1(b)1.
FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES*
The Codex Alimentarius Commission received a progress report prepared by the Joint FAO/ECE Secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Agricultural Problems. The Working Party of ECE concerned with the elaboration of standards for fresh fruit and vegetables had also commenced work on the standardisation of dried fruits, including nuts and prunes and of semi-processed products, such as fruit pulps. Work on these products was still at an early stage of development but it was intended to cover these products in addition to the following standards which had already been submitted to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for consideration: apples, pears, tomatoes, cauliflower, onions, lettuce, endives, peaches, apricots, plums, early potatoes, artichokes, cherries, strawberries, witloof chicory, spinach, table grapes, shelling peas, beans, carrots and citrus fruits. The Working Party intended to elaborate standards for the following commodities in due course: prunes, walnuts in shell, walnut kernels, decorticated hazel nuts, decorticated sweet almonds, fruit pulp, deep-frozen food products, Brussels sprouts, cultivated mushrooms, ribbed celery, peppers, melons, white shelling beans, garlic, horse-radish
At the present time all this work was being carried out on the basis of regional standards for Europe but Member Countries of the United Nations were able to participate in the work as observers under Article ll of UNECE Terms of Reference. The Commission was of the opinion that fresh fruit and vegetables:
were commodities to which regional standards were particularly applicable, but
in the interests of international trade world-wide standards should be developed as far as possible.
The Commission therefore recommended that:
member countries of the Commission should be asked to notify the Secretariat during the next six months of those commodities for which they would like world-wide standards;
the comments of Members of the Commission on the fresh fruit and vegetables standards published in Appendices K.1 to K.18 of the Report of the First Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (ALINORM 63/12) and any advice they might give as to the commodities for which they would like world-wide standards, should be referred to the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and if the Economic Commission for Europe thought it appropriate to OECD, which the Commission understood was already considering the preparation of standards on a wider basis than those prepared by the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
FROZEN FOOD PRODUCTS
The Commission received from the Secretariat a report of the First Meeting of the Group of Experts on Standardisation of Deep-frozen Food Products established by the Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Foodstuffs of the Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Agricultural Problems.
The Commission noted that the Group of Experts had under consideration general principles, definitions and a framework for individual standards for frozen food products. The Commission also noted that the scope of work of the Group of Experts covered all products of the Frozen Food Industry. As a first step draft standards for frozen vegetables and fruits were to be elaborated commencing with peas, spinach, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, strawberries, raspberries, peaches and apricots.
The Commission, after a full discussion of this subject, recommended that work on standards for frozen foods should in future be undertaken on a Joint UNECE/ Codex Alimentarius Commission basis and requested that the Directors-General of FAO and WHO should make appropriate arrangements with the Executive-Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe for this.
HONEY
The Commission was informed by the Secretariat that the Government of Austria had communicated to the Director-General of FAO that it would not be possible for Austria to undertake the work of a world-wide Codex Committee on Honey but that it would finalize the work on a honey standard for the European Region. The draft standard had now been transmitted to the Co-ordinator for Europe, who informed the Commission that it would be submitted to the Commission for consideration as soon as possible. The Commission expressed its appreciation of the work done and requested the Secretariat to distribute the draft standard on honey to governments as a working paper for the Third Session of the Commission.
MARGARINE*
At its First Session, the Codex Alimentarius Commission accepted an offer by the International Federation of Margarine Associations (IFMA) to elaborate a draft standard for margarine. The representative of the International Federation of Margarine Associations submitted a draft standard to the Commission for consideration.
The Commission expressed appreciation for the very fine work done by the International Federation of Margarine Associations in preparing a draft standard for margarine, and recommended that:
the Secretariat should invite as soon as possible all Member Governments to comment on the draft standard prepared by IFMA (ALINORM 64/11) before 31 December 1964;
the Secretariat should compile all Government comments into a suitable form, in which they would have lost their identity of origin, should this be the wish of any of the Governments concerned, and transmit the comments to IFMA;
IFMA should revise the draft standard in the light of Government comments and return it to the Secretariat;
the Secretariat should refer the revised draft standard to the Executive Committee who would decide whether the draft standard should be presented to the next Session of the Commission or referred to the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils.
WHEAT*
The Commission considered a progress report on wheat prepared by the Secretariat of International Organization for Standardisation/Technical Committee 34 -Agricultural Food Products (ISO/TC 34). The Commission expressed its appreciation of the work done and accepted the offer by ISO to carry out further work in this field. It was emphasized that there was a great need for work on international standards for all cereals because of their importance as staple foods in the diet of many countries, especially in many developing countries.
